Basin Fund Preservation Act
Basin Fund Preservation Act
Plain Language Summary
# Basin Fund Preservation Act Summary **What the Bill Does** The Basin Fund Preservation Act would require federal agencies (the Bureau of Reclamation and Western Area Power Administration) to study and report on how a 2024 decision about Glen Canyon Dam operations affects the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. Specifically, they would need to create a plan examining three things: how the decision impacts the fund's finances, how it affects hydropower generation at the dam, and what effects it has on threatened or endangered species in the region. **Who It Affects** This bill primarily impacts the Southwest—Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah—which rely on Colorado River water for drinking water, agriculture, and power generation. The changes also concern environmental groups focused on protecting fish and wildlife species dependent on the river ecosystem. **Current Status and Key Details** The bill is currently in committee and has not yet passed Congress.
It was introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) in the 119th Congress. The legislation is a response to new operational guidelines for Glen Canyon Dam issued in 2024, which were designed to manage the dam's water releases for environmental purposes. The bill essentially asks for more analysis of whether these environmental management changes create financial or operational problems that need to be addressed.
CRS Official Summary
Basin Fund Preservation ActThis bill directs the Bureau of Reclamation and the Western Area Power Administration, in consultation with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group, to enter into a memorandum of understanding to explore and address the impact that the 2024 record of decision entitled Supplement to the 2016 Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Record of Decision has on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. The memorandum of understanding must include a plan to (1) address the effects that the decision may have on the fund's obligations, (2) address the impact that the decision has on hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam, and (3) identify impacts that the decision has had on species listed as threatened or endangered species.By way of background, Reclamation published a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) in 2024. The SEIS revises the 2016 LTEMP Record of Decision to address two issues: (1) responding to the threat of the invasive smallmouth bass below Glen Canyon Dam, and (2) incorporating the latest sediment science to assess when high-flow experiments should be conducted in order to protect the endangered humpback chub.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.